2010 Detroit: Worst in Show

[svgallery name="2010_Detroit_Worst"] Story and photos by John LeBlanc Honda’s gas-guzzling hybrid Hybrids are supposed to be fuel sippers right? So what happened with Honda’s latest gas-electric hybrid, the 2011 CR-Z? The smaller, lighter, two-seat version of the current five-door Insight hybrid with a six-speed manual is rated around 7.1L/100 km. That’s a lot thirstier than the five-seat Insight’s 4.8L number. The CVT version is a bit more frugal. But still no better than a twenty-year old, gas only-Honda CRX HF (the spiritual predecessor of the CR-Z) rated at 5.7L city and 4.7 hwy. This is progress? Granted, in the spirit of making the CR-Z more fun to drive than the Insight, Honda gave it a slightly larger 1.5-litre version of the Insight’s 1.3 four, churning out 122 hp versus 98 hp, but it has the same 10 KW/13 hp electric motor and battery from the Insight. Honestly, I’m starting to believe Honda doesn’t really get this “hybrid” thing… Chrysler’s Fantasy Island According to Fiat-Chrysler’s big cheese, CEO Sergio Marchionne, his Detroit show offerings this year of 1970s-inspired tape-decal special editions, new trim packages, hastily-rebadged Lancias as Chryslers and a not-ready-for-prime-time electric Fiat 500 mockup is his idea of “the cutting edge of developing the kind of products that I think people in this country, and also in other countries, are really going to feel very favorable toward.” Sure… Let me get this straight: a special Wrangler (like the Islander Edition that spookily reminds me of the desperate late 1970s when all Detroit could offer were vinyl decals instead of new products) is going to bring back U.S. Jeep sales that are down by about one-third? And a car that’s a sales loser in Europe (Lancia) with a Chrysler badge stuck on is going to get mid-size sedan customers out of their Accords, Camrys or Fusions? Hey, whatever Sergio is drinking, I’ll take two! Cadillac settles for second place Don’t get me wrong: There’s nothing inherently wrong with the Cadillac XTS Platinum, the concept that debuted here in Detroit that will eventually replace the current STS and DTS sedans. It’s styling is sharp and clean. It’s interior is well made and loaded with modern features expected in this class. But Cadillac insists on calling the car its “flagship,” a car that is little more than a gussied up Buick LaCrosse. Yes. Cadillac has added length to its midsize platform. Mainly to give the XTS some trunk space, something the Buick is woefully lacking. And yes. There’s a high-tech, 350 hp V6 plug-in hybrid powerplant. Tree huggers aside, where’s the V8? Does parent General Motors really think anyone is going to shop the XTS against other full-size “flagships” from BMW, Audi or Lexus? Heck, even Hyundai, with its forthcoming V8 Equus sedan, knows how to do a proper “flagship.” If this is the future of driving, I’ll be taking the bus Instead of brands like Aston Martin, Lamborghini or Porsche, Detroit show organizers filled the main floor space with a gaggle of vehicles competing for the Automotive X Prize, a competition that “aims to pit some of the world’s most fuel efficient vehicles against one another in a quest to win their share of a $10 million prize purse.” OK. That sounds cool. Until you look at the cars, like the Tango. Despite being no wider than a Harley, the tandem-seat Tango claims to match the speed and safety of full-sized cars, go up to 210 km/h and accelerate from zero to 96 km/h in “about four seconds.” If this sounds all too good to be true, you’re right: the Tango currently costs about $150,000 to build. The Chinese aren’t coming! The Chinese aren’t coming! Hey, wasn’t it only a couple of Detroit shows back that The Next Big Thing was going to be cheap-as-dirt Chinese cars? At the 2008 Detroit show, I remember talking to a guy from the China America Co-operative Automobile Inc. He boasted that his company was ready to start importing Chinese cars into the U.S. that year and into Canada by the end of 2009. Funny thing. I couldn’t find that guy here at this year’s show. Instead, we had China’s BYD, as in Build Your Dreams, spinning the media. The automaker says its pure-electric BYD E6 Multi Activity Vehicle will go on sale south of the border this year. With a range of 300 km between charges—twice what any other production EV can claim. There will BYD recharging stations, across the U.S. And by 2025, BYD will be the world's largest automaker. Toyota? GM? Volkswagen? You’ve been warned. Yeah, we know, electric vehicles don’t emit gas fumes With less and less automakers attending the Detroit show, for the second year in a row, organizers filled up Cobo Hall’s basement with the EcoXperience exhibit, which lets attendees drive a bunch of electric vehicles around a landscaped 0.4 km track. Beyond the cries from EV newbies (“Oh my gawd! I can drive a car indoors because there’s no tailpipe emissions!” or “Oh my gawd! The electric motor doesn’t make as much noise as the V8 in my Explorer”) yeah, yeah, we get it, driving an EV is different than driving a gas car. Can we please move on? For free, here’s an idea for the organizers of next year’s Detroit show on how to make the EcoXperience less of a dud: keep the track, but lets put some 125cc shifter karts out there—best lap time wins a new Tango!

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